Safety culture in GolGohar Mine in Southeast Iran in 2014

Background: Safety culture and attitude form an integral part of organizations' cultures and their improved levels are influential in the prevention of occupational accidents and injuries. The present study was conducted to assess the safety culture and attitude of workers in the mining industry in Iran. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 172 workers employed in GolGohar Mine in Southeast Iran. Data were collected using a standard safety culture questionnaire, and then, analyzed in SPSS software using ANOVA, independent t-test, and the linear regression model. Results: Participants' mean age and mean length of work experience were 38.13 ± 7.11 and 9.95 ± 4.84 years, respectively. The level of education was found to be significantly related to management commitment (P = 0.003) and training (P = 0.001). Age was found to be significantly related to management commitment (P = 0.044), exchange of information (P = 0.020), and training (P = 0.047). In addition, work experience was found to be significantly related to training (P = 0.010) and safety prioritization (P = 0.002). However, employment and marital status had no significant relationships with the culture of safety (P > 0.050). Participants had experienced no occupational accidents during the course of their work. Conclusions: The present study showed the effectiveness of the level of education, age, and work experience in promoting the culture of safety. Adopting measures to increase the employment of better educated individuals, providing safety training prior to recruitment, and using more experienced workers’ recommendations can promote the culture of safety in the organization and reduce occupational accidents.